Global Solutions Education Fund Pittsburgh
An independent 501(c)(3) educational organization, is the local affiliate of Citizens For Global Solutions, a national organization working toward global solutions to global problems. Our organization has been educating western Pennsylvanian citizens about our global interdependence for over fifty years.
Vision
Global Solutions envisions a future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no nation can solve alone. This vision requires effective democratic global institutions that will apply the rule of law while respecting the diversity and autonomy of national and local communities.
Mission
We are a membership organization working to build political will in the United States to achieve our vision. We do this by educating Americans about our global interdependence, communicating global concerns to public officials, and developing proposals to create, reform, and strengthen international institutions such as the United Nations.
History
While the idea of creating a political union of states in order to abolish war may be traced back for centuries, the collapse of the League of Nations in the 1930s brought to the fore the concept of federalism in terms of an international union of states and peoples. The devastation of World War II prompted many to seek solutions to the threat of global war and the inability of the international community to address this threat.
In February 1947, newly formed federalist groups came together in Asheville, NC, and decided to join together to form the World Federalist Association, now known as Citizens for Global Solutions. Later that same year, a meeting was held in Montreux, Switzerland, and the umbrella organization known today as the World Federalist Movement was created.
One of the delegates to the Asheville meeting, Elizabeth Bloch, returned to Pittsburgh and helped to found the Pittsburgh Chapter the following month. Both Elizabeth Bloch and her husband, Raymond, devoted their time and energy to the ideals of world peace through world law.
Another prominent leader of the Pittsburgh chapter, Maclean McLean, was the group's first Executive Director. In 1951, he became the Secretary General of the World Federalist Movement, headquartered in Amsterdam. After his four-year term, he returned to Pittsburgh to continue his tenure as Executive Director.
In 2003 the World Federalist Association and the Campaign for UN Reform engaged in a strategic partnership, creating Global Solutions. On April 1, 2004, the World Federalist Association of Pittsburgh followed suit, becoming the Global Solutions Education Fund Pittsburgh.
Board of Directors and Staff
Members of the Pittsburgh chapter Board of Directors are committed activists with a wide range of backgrounds and professions. Directors are elected for three year terms at the Annual Meeting in December. Officers are also elected at the Annual Meeting and serve one year terms. Click here for the list of board of directors and staff.